JPH08145733A - Unmanned submersible system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] By separating the submarine installation unit equipped on the submersible body and installing it on the seabed, it is possible to easily realize long-term observation of the seabed, reduce labor, and save costs. Provide an unmanned underwater vehicle system. [Structure] An unmanned underwater vehicle system equipped with survey and observation equipment, which can be independently observed, recorded, and communicated, and which is equipped with a submarine installation unit that can be detached and installed on the ocean floor by remote control from the mother ship.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an unmanned submarine system used for seabed exploration.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory view of an example of a conventional unmanned submersible system. As shown in the drawing, the mother ship A and the submersible B are connected by the cable C, etc., and the submersible B moves around the seabed by remote control from the top of the mother ship A to conduct an investigation, and the information is displayed on the mother ship A in real time. It is generally transmitted.

[0003]

However, the above-mentioned unmanned submersible system has various restrictions on the time when it can be continuously operated (fuel of the mother ship and submersible, battery, sea condition, labor of operator, etc.), and there is a seabed. A fixed point for a long time,
It was very difficult to observe continuously. Therefore, when observing a fixed point for a long period of time, it is necessary to once collect the submersible on the mother ship and reach the same point again.
However, in this case, it is necessary to install an acoustic transponder or the like for underwater positioning, which serves as a landmark, on the seabed in advance, and it is necessary to charter a mother ship for each observation, which requires a great deal of labor and cost.

[0004]

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and by separating the unit for submarine installation equipped in the body of the submersible from the submarine to install it on the seafloor The unmanned underwater vehicle system can be started by simply disconnecting the above unit during the operation of the unmanned underwater vehicle, and can be realized in two voyages at the time of collection, reducing labor and cost. The feature is that the submersible body is equipped with a unit for submarine installation equipped with survey observation equipment, which can be independently observed, recorded, and communicated, and can be detached and installed on the seabed by remote control from the mother ship. is there.

[0005]

[Function] For installation on the seabed, equipped with survey and observation equipment such as sensors and equipment necessary for continuous seabed survey, which enables independent observation, recording and communication, and can be installed remotely by remote control from the mother ship. The unit was equipped on the submersible body.
Such an unmanned submersible moves around the sea by remote control from the mother ship, and when the point where long-term observation is required is reached, the above-mentioned submarine installation unit is separated from the submersible main unit and installed on the seabed, only the submersible main unit. Gets positive buoyancy and is levitated and recovered. Furthermore, when collecting the unit for installing the seabed, the weight is cut off by the acoustic signal from the mother ship, the weight is automatically levitated, and the unit is collected by the mother ship.

At this time, before the separation of the submarine installation unit, the data are transmitted as optical signals to the mother ship via the submersible body, and after the separation, the data are stored in the recording device installed in the subsea installation unit. Continuous observation is carried out while accumulating. Since data transmission between the submarine installation unit and the main body of the submarine before separation is performed by optical communication as described above, there is no concern about electrical insulation failure when separating the subsea installation unit, and the separation is easy.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an unmanned submersible vehicle according to the present invention. A submersible body 1 is connected to the mother ship A by, for example, an optical fiber C or the like. 2 is a submarine installation unit equipped on the submersible body 1, which is an underwater light 3,
Underwater TV camera 4, battery 5, weight 6, water temperature gauge 7,
The data recording device 8 etc. are stored in a water pressure resistant container,
Data is transmitted to and received from the submersible body 1 via the optical fiber 9. When installing the submarine installation unit 2 on the seabed, the optical fiber 9 is cut by the optical fiber cutter 10 mounted on the submersible body 1 by remote control from the mother ship A, and the submarine installation unit 2 is installed. It can be detached and surfaced. The equipment installed in the submarine installation unit 2 may be selected according to the purpose, and the submersible main body 1 can be made highly versatile.

The submersible body 1 and the seabed installation unit 2
Instead of the optical fiber 9 for transmitting and receiving data between the two, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, a lens 21 is provided at a position where the contact surfaces of the submersible main body 1 and the submarine installation unit 2 face each other, a laser 22, The optical signal may be transmitted and received by the element 23. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4, an optical signal may be transmitted and received via an end face of an optical fiber 25, one end of which is connected to the laser 22 and the light receiving element 23 via the optical multiplexer / demultiplexer 24.

When AC power is supplied from the mother ship to the submersible main body 1 through the umbilical cable 33, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the contact surface between the submersible main body 1 and the submarine installation unit 2 By arranging the coils 31 and 32 at positions facing each other, AC power is supplied to the seabed installation unit 2 by electromagnetic induction through the coils 31 and 32 before the seabed installation unit 2 is separated. Therefore, before the submarine installation unit 2 is installed at the destination, it is not necessary to consume the battery 5 in the unit.

If the submersible body 1 is provided with a negative buoyancy submarine installation unit 2 equipped with a weight and the submersible main body 1 has neutral buoyancy, the submarine installation unit 2 is detached and installed on the seabed. Therefore, normal subsidence automatically occurs in the submersible body 1, and a levitating battery is not required. As a result, the drive battery of the submersible body 1 and the observation battery built into the unit can be shared until installation, and the unit 2 for submarine installation together with the battery can be installed on the submarine, so the entire submersible can be downsized. Becomes

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the submarine installation unit 2 installed on the seabed receives the acoustic signal from the acoustic signal generator 46 of the mother ship as an acoustic signal receiver 41 with a built-in unit.
By receiving the signal, the relay device 44 is opened, the adsorbing force of the electromagnet 45 that has adsorbed the weight 6 is released, and the weight 6 is dumped. The submarine installation unit 2 automatically levitates to the sea surface and the mother ship Will be collected. In the figure, 42 is a signal processor,
43 is a relay control device.

[0012]

As described above, according to the unmanned submersible system of the present invention, the submarine installation unit equipped with the survey and observation equipment is installed in the submersible body, and the submarine installation unit is separated at the destination. By installing it, long-term observation of the seabed, which has required a great deal of cost and labor in the past, can be started simply by disconnecting the seabed installation unit during the operation process of a normal unmanned submersible, and it can be performed twice at the time of collection. Can be realized on a voyage.

Further, by transmitting the data between the submersible body and the submarine installation unit by an optical signal, the submarine installation unit can be easily separated without the problem of electrical insulation. The equipment required for the machine body can be shared with the unit, and the size and weight of the unmanned submersible system can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a specific example of an unmanned submersible vehicle according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a conventional unmanned submersible system.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an example of data transmission between the submersible body and the submarine installation unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of another example of data transmission between the submersible body and the submarine installation unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of an example of supplying AC power to a unit for seabed installation according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of another example of AC power supply to the unit for seabed installation according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of an example of levitation means of the seabed installation unit installed on the seabed according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Submersible body 2 Submarine installation unit 3 Underwater light 4 Underwater TV camera 5 Battery 6 Weight 7
Water thermometer 8 Data recorder 9 Optical fiber 10 Optical fiber cutter A Mother ship

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A submarine body is equipped with a research and observation instrument, which enables independent observation, recording, and communication, and a submarine installation unit that can be detached and installed on the seabed by remote control from the mother ship. Unmanned submersible system. 2. The unmanned submersible system according to claim 1, wherein the data of the submarine installation unit is transmitted to the mother ship via the submersible body before the separation. 3. A mechanism for transmitting and receiving an optical signal is provided on the contact surface between the submersible body and the submarine installation unit, and data before detaching the submarine installation unit and control signals from the mother ship are installed on the submersible body and the subsea installation unit. The unmanned submersible system according to claim 2, wherein the unmanned submersible system can be transmitted as an optical signal between the units for use without using any cable. 4. A coil facing each other is provided on the contact surface between the submersible body and the submarine installation unit, and AC power is supplied to the subsea installation unit by electromagnetic induction through the coil before the submarine installation unit is disconnected. The unmanned submersible system according to claim 1, wherein the system is capable. 5. The unmanned submersible system according to claim 1, wherein the submarine installation unit receives an acoustic signal from the mother ship, discards a weight installed inside and automatically levitates to the sea surface.